Finding what works

One of the first things an author learns is how to figure out his/her voice (let's use "her" throughout this, just to make life easier). When I first started writing, I tried various styles and finally found 1st person point of view. As soon as I wrote a book in 1st POV, I knew I had found my voice. It's very, very challenging to write mysteries from a 1st POV, but I do it and I think I do it well.

After figuring out your voice/strength, you have to figure out how you'll get the book done. Many people write in spurts, others do little chunks here and there then weave it together, etc. I'm a BICHOK person: Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. I write every day. Every. Day. 

I also have a Day Job so my free time is limited. I taught myself to write very cleanly and efficiently so I don't have a lot of edits to do. I write a good solid draft in about 2 months (for a mystery), let it sit for a month, revisit it and revise, then send it off to my beta reader. Then I start the next book.

Once you get all the Book Stuff figured out, you have to figure out the Publishing Stuff -- who to submit to, agent or no agent, self-published or not, etc. That's a whole world unto itself. 

But once you've figured out the Book Stuff and the Publishing Stuff, you have to figure out the Promo Stuff. I've been published for 10 years now, and at first, I tried all kinds of gimmicks -- blog tours and advertisements, and conferences, and bookmarks -- you name it, I pretty much tried it.

About 2 years after my first books came out (I had 5 or 6 books in 2 years, I think), I sat back and really thought about the Promo Stuff. And I came up with 5 rules that I could live with. These are my rules. They aren't yours or hers or his. They're mine:

1. Do whatever promo fits in my schedule. Don't take time away from writing (because I don't have much time for writing as it is). 
2. Do whatever I feel comfortable doing, either personally or financially.
3. Don't sweat it if it doesn't work.
4. Define what constitutes success. For me, it isn't a ranking on a list or a dollar amount of money.
5. Only continue to write if you enjoy it. When it becomes a job, quit.

You see, publishing success is a crap shoot. It's one of the few professions where talent really isn't that big of a factor. There's a big chunk of luck involved, too. Best-selling authors aren't necessarily better writers. I've read "unknown authors" who are a lot better at crafting a story than a best-selling author. The BS author (heh heh) just hit it big with at least one book and then people found that author and told other people, then that author became an auto-buy for people, and before you know it, you've got good sales.

When I first started trying to be published, I went to a lot of conferences and took a lot of notes. One "rule" was repeated over and over, and I think it's repeated because it's true:

Write the best book you can write. 

Work on your craft, write a good book, and the rest is up to a lot of things that are totally out of our control. See #3 above.  Above all, enjoy the ride. It can be a lot of fun.

J L

(jayellwilson.com)

First, You Have to Know What Success Is For You

By Glenys O'Connell @GlenysOConnell

Before we can be successful, we have to know what it means to us as an individual. In writing, perhaps more than many other walks of life, there are many ways to be successful, depending on what the person – you – want to gain from your work.

And there are many people who will tell you how to become successful – often the advice is contradictory. I remember being told ‘Write the book you want to read’ and at the same time being told ‘Write for the market’.

Well, I worried, what if my taste in reading material isn’t what the market wants? I guess the thing to do, really, if you want to be published is to update your favorite reading material with what you learn from researching the market, in order to write a book that you want to read – and other people want to read, too!

For example, I’ve always loved ‘gothic’ mysteries, in particular the work of the legendary Phyllis Whitney. Her books don’t appear on the top selling lists anymore, but basically, her writing category has morphed into ‘romantic suspense’, still with the woman in jeopardy theme but a lot sexier  and more dangerous and wide-ranging – and who can complain about that? So I can write the plots I love, and still write for the market, yes?

One thing I do know, there are few – if any - fast tracks to writing success. Read about many bestselling authors and you’ll learn they have been writing for years before hitting the A-list. Stephen King claimed he could wallpaper his room with all the rejections he received before Carrie’s success!

The Internet is full of Get Rich Quick Schemes – save your money, avoid them and keep writing. They often have tempting titles like: Ten Minutes to Double Your Income! Unlock Your Writing Power! Free Money Making Plans! The Secret to Writing Success! Maybe I’m biased, but I suspect the only people to get rich from these schemes are the people selling them.

Personally, I think you have to define what you consider to be success for yourself – and surprisingly, that doesn’t always come with a dollar figure attached.

Usually when we think of writing success, we think of the bestseller lists, adoring fans

waiting for signed copies of our books, royalty cheques big enough to impress the stodgiest bank manager, and write-ups in the popular press. But before you throw yourself into the mad dash for the number one spot, consider this question: What does writing success mean to you? Do you even want to reach for the stars?

For some writers, the act of writing is fulfilling enough. For others, it’s knowing that somewhere out there someone is reading their work. Still others are burning with a message they need to get out into the world – whether they ever earn a penny or not. If your writing can make one person feel that they are not alone in the human condition, would that be enough to make you feel successful? Or do you want to grab the brass ring, to have adoring fans and publishers fighting to catch your eye?

Too many of us set off on the wrong road, never questioning what we actually consider to be success on our own terms.  Success isn’t a generic, one-size-fits-all garment; we each need a different version of it. And too many writers come to a crashing standstill, unable to reach a goal they don’t understand or have the aptitude for, or are actually subconsciously undermining, instead of pursuing a dream that fits them just right. And then starts the painful process of self-blame, of denigrating our talent and belittling the work we’ve done when it was, perhaps, simply the wrong work, the wrong success path for us.

So, learn your craft, write well, and choose your own path to the success you want.

And if anyone has used one of those ‘quick path to success’ plans out there and been successful, I’d love to hear your story!

 

Glenys O'Connell is a multi-published writer of romantic suspense and comedy, a playwright, and non-fiction author. She wrote the book on writing basics: Naked Writing: The No Frills Way to Write Your Book.